Generational Changes Since WWII

One way of thinking about the past is thinking in terms of generations. We all know what a generation is. It is when the next child or grandchild is born. Quantifying a generation's duration is more difficult.

Genealogists, and some sociologists, have grappled with measuring the length of a generation. Generally speaking, they agree that one lasts from ages fifteen to forty-five years for a woman. However, the frequency of births occurring when a person is fifteen, or forty-five, has been low. Because most births occur when a woman is between twenty-five and thirty-three years of age, many researchers formulate their calculations on three or four generations per one hundred years.

I was thinking about this in regards to Barbara Higbee's death in 2002. She was interested in Muskogee's photographic history. From yard sales and resale booths, Barbara collected over a thousand images depicting early Muskogee sights. Many area residents recall her presenting slide shows based upon her collection.

Four years before her death, Barbara allowed the Three Rivers Museum to scan and preserve digital copies of about one hundred and sixty images from her collection. In looking at the Higbee collection in the museum, I have come to realize that a lot has changed in the passage of time. Generational change.

There are some images that are dated to the half decade following the end of World War Two. This 1945 to 1950 period falls fully two generations ago. As I was examining these photographs, I began to notice things that I no longer see. Here are some of my impressions.

There was a parade marching down West Broadway in 1948. It drew a large crowd of viewers. Two boys were watching the floats pass by. It was not the decorated floats that caught my attention. Nor was it the boys. It was the bicycles parked just behind the boys. They must have just arrived moments before the photographer snapped the picture.

We rarely see boys on bicycles riding across town anymore. It used to be normal for boys to have the freedom to range far and wide across town. I don't see that happening very often any more. Bicycle riders today mostly tend to be people who think of bike riding as a "sport."

Parade turnout was higher during these years. Perhaps it was the patriotic hangover. People dressed up to go out in public. Men and women were still wearing wide-brimmed hats. The khaki pants once worn as part of a uniform were being worn now as civilian attire with decreasing frequency.

There is something else that comes to mind when I looked at photographs dated between 1946 and 1948. Many of the automobiles driving on Muskogee streets had a divider down the middle of the front windshield. This was because the two pieces of glass were flat. Today's automobile enthusiasts would love to acquire the cars still on the roadways during this period.

Theaters, especially the Ritz, posted movie posters on trashcans on local sidewalks. Western movies portrayed good guys against outlaws. Right and wrong were clearly divided in the plotline.

What do you miss seeing from the days following the end of World War Two? You may email me at muskogeehistory AT gmail.com. I'll be looking to hear from you.